New aircraft glitch for Canada PM Justin Trudeau before return from Jamaica

Canada said on Friday an aircraft was sent this week to Jamaica to address a maintenance issue with the plane that took Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a visit to the Caribbean, enabling him to fly back home.

It is the second recent instance of such an aircraft glitch; Trudeau's departure from India in September 2023 was delayed by a couple of days after a G20 summit.

"We can confirm two Royal Canadian Air Force CC-144 Challengers were in Jamaica supporting transport for the prime minister," a spokesperson for Canada's defence department said.


An inspection uncovered the maintenance issue on Tuesday, before Trudeau's departure date, the spokesperson added. A maintenance team and aircraft were sent to the island to restore the craft to service the next day.

Trudeau was able to return on the original plane, the spokesperson said.